Beyond the Talk: Lei Cheng on the value of freedom
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 12.1K Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
“ I marvel at every little freedom that we have. Because for three years and two months, it was all brutally taken away from me,” says Australian journalist Lei Cheng. In 2020, Lei was wrongfully detained in China after being falsely accused of leaking state secrets. Several years after her release, she took the stage at TED2025 to share her perspective on the meaning and value of freedom. Following her talk, Lei sat down for a special conversation with TED Talks Daily host Elise Hu to discuss her experience and how it’s shaped her vision for a freer future.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey, TED Talks Daily listeners. It's Elise. Thank you for making this show part of your daily routine. |
| 0:05.9 | We really appreciate it, and we want to make it even better for you. So we put together a quick |
| 0:10.8 | survey, and we'd love to hear your thoughts. It's listener survey time. It only takes a few minutes, |
| 0:16.8 | but it really helps us shape the show and get to know you, our listeners. So much better. |
| 0:22.7 | Head to the episode description to find the link to the listener survey. We would really appreciate |
| 0:27.7 | you doing it. Thank you so much for taking the time to help the show. |
| 0:34.3 | Get ready to elevate your summer playlist. |
| 0:39.6 | Calvin Harris is back with his brand new single. |
| 0:43.0 | Blessings with Clementine Douglas. |
| 0:47.6 | Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas. |
| 0:50.9 | Blessings. Out now. |
| 0:55.2 | Go on. Close your eyes. |
| 0:59.4 | Take a deep breath. |
| 1:02.6 | Feel that? |
| 1:04.3 | Refreshing, isn't it? |
| 1:06.5 | But we get it. |
| 1:08.8 | You're busy. |
| 1:10.3 | And you work incredibly hard. When you're going this fast, the noise can be deafening. |
| 1:16.6 | We're Moneypenny. And our job is to take care of your business calls, chats and more, so you can make your time count. With five minutes headspace or the freedom to go even faster, go on. With the cost-effective |
| 1:30.5 | support you've been looking for, visit moneypenny.com.uk today. |
| 1:34.9 | Warning, this book contains strong opinions, questionable decisions and stories I probably |
| 1:40.5 | shouldn't be telling. But here we are. Just you, me and my big mouth. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.